Some people think that strict punishments for driving offences are the key to reducing traffic accidents. Others, however, believe that other measures would be more effective in improving road safety. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Sample Response
People have differing views about how to make our roads saferwith regard to the question of how to make our roads safer. In my view, both punishments and a range of other measures can be used together to promote better driving habits.
On the one hand, strict punishments can certainly encourage peoplehelp to encourage people to drive more safely. Penalties for dangerous drivers can act as a deterrent, discouraging people from repeating the same offencemeaning that people avoid repeating the same offence. There are various types of driving penaltiespenalty, such as small fines, licence suspension, driver awareness courses, and even prison sentences. The aim of these punishments is to make dangerous drivers face the consequences of their actionsshow dangerous drivers that their actions have negative consequences. As a result, these measures can help drivers becomewe would hope that drivers become more disciplined and alert, and that they follow the rules more carefully.
On the other hand, I believe that safe driving can be promoted in several waysseveral different ways that do not punish drivers. Firstly, it is essentialvitally important to educate people properly before they start to drive, and this could be done in schools or even as part of a longer or more demanding driving testan extended or more difficult driving test. Secondly, more attention could be paid to safe road design. For example, warning signs can alert driverssigns can be used to warn people, speed bumps and road bends can be added to calm traffic, and speed cameras can help to deter people from driving too quickly. Finally, governments or local councils could reduce road accidents by investing in better public transport, thereby reducing the number of people who need to travel by carwhich would mean that fewer people would need to travel by car.
In conclusion, while punishments can help to deter unsafe drivingprevent bad driving, I believe that other road safety measures should also be introduced.
Why this response received Band 9.0
The response answers every part of the question directly, maintains a clear balanced opinion, and develops both punishment and non-punitive measures through convincing explanation and well-chosen examples. Its main limitation is that the discussion remains somewhat general, particularly when linking public transport investment to road safety. For further refinement, deepen one causal link or acknowledge a realistic limitation while preserving the essay’s concise, highly controlled style.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response fully addresses both views and presents a clear, consistent opinion supported by relevant explanations and examples.
For further sophistication, briefly qualify when punishment may be most effective compared with preventive measures.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress seamlessly through a highly controlled structure, with cohesive devices and paragraphing used naturally and effectively.
Maintain this clear progression while varying the opening pattern of body paragraphs in future responses.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is precise, natural, and flexible throughout, with effective topic-specific choices and consistently accurate collocations.
Continue refining nuance by using selective language to distinguish deterrent, preventive, and infrastructural effects even more sharply.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence structures is used flexibly and accurately, with consistently clear control of complex clauses and punctuation.
Preserve this accuracy while experimenting with occasional more compressed structures to make causal relationships even more concise.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think that strict punishments for driving offences are the key to reducing traffic accidents. Others, however, believe that other measures would be more effective in improving road safety. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.